Update: According to this report in the Chicago Tribune, A Will County judge has set Kevin Johnson's bail at $5 million. Authorities say no other family members showed up Friday for the bond hearing for 43-year-old Fred Johnson II, who is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery of a child and unlawful restraint in the beating death of Kevin Johnson.
Crete, Nebraska, USA - According to the Chicago Tribune, Fred D. Johnson 11, 43, was charged last Thursday (May 15) with fatally beating 12-year-old Kevin Johnson, his adopted son, over three days in July last year. Kevin Johnson, who was intellectually disabled, died on July 20, two days after he was taken to hospital unconscious.
According to the charges, Fred Johnson struck Kevin on his head and body between July 15 and 18, causing the boy's death. Fred Johnson is also accused of tying the boy to a bed frame with straps.
According to the article, at the time of Kevin's death, Fred Johnson, who took custody with his wife of Kevin and his three brothers after their adoptive parents died, was being investigated by the Dept. of Children and Family Services because of allegations of abuse. He has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery of a child and unlawful restraint. He was also charged with criminal neglect of a person with a disability for allegedly not taking one of Kevin Johnson's brothers to a doctor for needed medical attention, said a spokesman for the state attorney's office.
After Kevin's death, his brothers were removed from Fred Johnson and his wife's care, along with five other children. They are now in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
The full story can be read here.
